Solar energy has been available as a source of power for more than 4.5 billion years. For centuries, inventors have been devising various means to harness this energy. As far back as the third century B.C., records indicate that the Greek and Roman armies used “burning mirrors” to focus sunlight as weapons of war to ignite fires and to burn sails of enemy warships. In 1767, Swiss scientist Herace de Saussure invented the first solar collector (solar hotbox). In the 1880's, engineer John Ericsson, the first American solar scientist, developed a solar driven engine for a ship and 1954 saw the birth of the solar cell or photovoltaic. In 1977, U.S. President Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House and began promoting different incentives for companies that developed and/or used solar energy systems.
Solar energy provides the world either directly or indirectly with the majority of its energy. Solar energy is a renewable energy source having vast potential. Although solar energy is abundant, a major drawback is that it is diffuse and not available at all hours. Solar energy can be affected by the time of the day, the seasons, and the changing sun path in the sky as the earth's axis is not at a right angle to the sun but is tilted away at an angle of 23.5°.
For decades, inventors have tried various systems for harnessing this incredible energy source. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,988,166; 4,286,581; 5,275,149; and 4,038,971 have sought to control and convert this energy into a cost-effective usable form. Unfortunately, these systems are cumbersome, expensive to manufacture and maintain, expensive to operate and yield little in terms of usable, convertible energy.
Although state and federal incentives are available, it is not yet economical to harness solar energy on a large scale to produce electricity. However, the high cost of traditional energy sources and the energy shortage are presenting a significant burden on many countries. Also, these traditional sources have numerous drawbacks such as pollution and the limited amounts of fossil fuels available.
Solar energy is the hope for an endless energy supply, as it is cheap, clean, and pollution free. There is a need in the art to develop a cost effective, easy to operate, relatively maintenance free solar energy system to harness and convert solar energy into a viable energy alternative to traditional sources.